Ship Abandonments Pile Up, Leaving Sailors Stranded at Sea

Ship abandonment isn’t new - but it’s quietly becoming one of the shipping industry’s ugliest open secrets. More and more vessels are being deserted mid-journey or left to languish in foreign ports, with entire crews stuck aboard. These seafarers often go without pay, supplies, or any clear path home. What was once considered a rare maritime crisis is now a regular reality for many workers at sea, and the trend is only growing harder to ignore.

What Is Ship Abandonment?

At its core, abandonment occurs when a shipowner fails to uphold their legal and ethical responsibilities. Crews are left onboard without wages, food, or support - often trapped for weeks, months, or longer. Many of these vessels operate under “flags of convenience,” meaning they’re registered in countries with lax labor and enforcement standards. According to Marine Link, this loophole makes it much easier for bad actors to vanish without consequence when things go wrong.

Deplorable Practices

Among the most glaring examples is Friends Shipping - a company with offices in Turkey and Dubai that’s been repeatedly named in abandonment cases. Though the company publicly lists over 20 vessels, data from international organizations shows most of them have been tied to incidents involving unpaid, stranded crews.

According to the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), Friends Shipping often recruits crew members unfamiliar with the company’s troubled history. Once abandoned, many of these workers face conditions so dire - no electricity, little food, contaminated water - they eventually choose to leave without receiving the pay they were promised.

Abdul Razzaq Abdul Khaliq, a Syrian sailor on the Sister 12, which is currently docked off the coast of Yemen, told the AP the ship was full of insects, and the crew had to use seawater to bathe. He sent photos and videos showing faucets that poured out dirty, brown water, rust on the deck, and only a few rotting pieces of fruit in the pantry. “(T)here is no food on the ship, there is no water, there is no life,” he wrote.

Very Little Leverage

According to international rules, ship workers’ recourse is limited when it comes to ship abandonment. The problem most affects smaller companies with routes making less money, and abandonment is not generally noticeable to those outside the shipping industry, so the ship workers’ plight is largely unknown.

“The only leverage seafarers have sometimes is to stay on a vessel until they get paid,” said Helen Meldrum, a ship inspector with the International Transport Workers’ Federation, which works to protect ship workers’ rights, according to the Associated Press.

The countries with the most cases in 2024 were the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia. The worst cases involve entire crews going weeks without enough food or fresh water, or living on ships without electricity. Some workers end up stuck on board for years.

Under international maritime law, flag states - the countries where ships are registered - are supposed to step in when things go wrong. They’re tasked with ensuring crews receive food, medical care, and safe passage home. But in many abandonment cases, ships are tied to vague corporate structures and paper companies, making enforcement nearly impossible.

Even though more than 90 countries have signed onto updated Maritime Labor Convention rules requiring shipowners to carry wage insurance, many flag registries fail to take meaningful action.

Worsening Problem

According to watchdog organizations, cases of abandonment have been steadily rising for the past several years. Global economic pressures - like inflation, high fuel costs, and tighter shipping margins - have pushed some owners to extreme cost-cutting. And when the math doesn’t work, it’s often the crews who are left holding the bag.

The ITF says it recovered over $10 million in unpaid wages for abandoned sailors last year, but another $10 million is still being disputed. In many cases, shipowners simply stop paying once a vessel becomes unprofitable, walking away from both the ship and its human cargo.

Other Hazards

In addition to placing workers in danger, ship abandonment can cause environmental damage when ships are left unused, drift near the shore and get stuck on land. This happened recently when an oil tanker was left drifting in the Arabian Sea became stuck on the coast and leaked thousands of gallons of oil into the water - posing a threat to marine life.

In crowded areas like the Straits of Malacca, Suez Canal, or Panama Canal, abandoned ships present a collision hazard when they’re left drifting in busy shipping routes. Often, these ships don’t have lights or proper signals, which makes it much more likely that other ships could crash into them.

More Cases Likely

While increased awareness may be encouraging more workers to come forward, experts believe the numbers we see today are still far below reality. Many seafarers are hesitant to speak out, especially if they fear retaliation or blacklisting in the industry.

And as long as current loopholes remain, like flags of convenience and weak enforcement, shipowners who engage in abandonment face few consequences. The practice may not make international headlines, but it’s leaving thousands of essential workers in desperate, dangerous conditions, often with no way out.

References: Abandoned Ships at Sea- A Worsening Crisis That Threatens Maritime Safety and Marine Ecosystems | Fleet of Abandoned Ships is Growing, Leaving More Sailors Stuck at Sea